International Law in the Age of Genocide
While Lemkin was able to convince diplomats at the United Nations to pass the Genocide Convention, his work was not complete upon his death. The job of lobbying governments across the world to ratify the convention was left to ordinary people.
France, Great Britain, and Russia Joint Declaration, 1915
In 1915, France, Great Britain, and Russia, issued a declaration condemning the ongoing Armenian genocide carried out in the Ottoman Empire and threatening to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Excerpt from Axis Rule in Occupied Europe by Raphael Lemkin
This reading contains an excerpt from Axis Rule in Occupied Europe by Raphael Lemkin, where he coins the term genocide.
“Sovereignty cannot be conceived as the right to kill millions”
Raphael Lemkin was outraged when he heard that the mass murder of the Armenians went unpunished. He was haunted by the case of Soghomon Tehlirian—an Armenian survivor of the genocide who killed Mehmed Talaat, minister of the interior of the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).
Flood Refugees in Line for Food
A long line of African Americans entering a building to receive food. During the Great Depression, African Americans line up for food at meal time in the camp for flood refugees. Forrest City, Arkansas.
Fear
With his story of a childhood bully, Gary Soto challenges us to look more closely at what lies behind one's behavior.
Finding Confidence
A young woman describes her journey overcoming an inner bully and fear of being different.
Finding Confidence (en español)
In Spanish, a young woman describes her journey overcoming an inner bully and fear of being different.
Betraying the Youth
Former Nazi youth member Alfons Heck reflects on coming to terms with Germany’s role and his own part in the Holocaust.
The Racial Divide in the Women’s Suffrage Movement
This clip from the documentary "The Vote" explores how the Fifteenth Amendment created conflict within the women’s suffrage movement.
An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man, 1833 (abridged)
This abridged primary source is from Native American (Pequot) minister William Apess, an advocate for racial equality and the rights of Native Americans.